A Jagras' Story
by aRandomAccount12
Summary: Meet Jax, your everyday average jagras living in the Ancient Forest of the New World. Experience the storyline of Monster Hunter World from a brand new angle. Monster Hunter World and it's monsters are products of Capcom and I hold no ownership over any of them.
1. Chapter 1

Two young jagras flitted through the treetops that ringed their nest deep in the forest of the New World. Nipping at tails and jumping from branch to trunk to branch again they raced each other in their made up game as any young children do to pass a sunny afternoon.

Launching into the clearing of the nest situated high above the ground and made from a weaving of multiple branches from the thick trees of the Ancient Forest, the two tumbled to a stop, arguing who had made it home first.

"Ha! I beat you again Jax!" Exclaimed one jagras with slightly darker markings than his younger counterpart.

"Did not Jen! You just got lucky that I slipped on that branch that was still wet from the sky waters last night! Without that it was totally my win!" Jax argued back.

Before the two could scrap it out to win their argument the head matriarch that had been watching the two with mild interest spoke up.

"Boys, stop fighting and come eat. You'll have plenty of time to decide who's right after midday meal." She said, gesturing with her head to some lumps of meat she had returned with from closer to the coast. Many of her children and family had already begun to tear into the meal she and some of the other great jagras had scavenged earlier in the day during their daily patrol of their territory. She did not like seeing her family go without food and knew that the young jagras would find themselves with nothing to eat if they continued their play fighting.

"Yes mother." The two said before running over to the meal. They dug in with the rest of the family as the matriarch contemplated the day so far.

A new group of those strange creatures; humans, the forest elders had called them, had arrived recently. At least according to the new smells in the humans foraging trails there should be new members in their tribe. They were a strange lot. Having arrived in the area not too long before she was born and immediately they began to create their nest on the coast. They changed the land they lived on, moving parts of the land and creating strange structures rather than merely adapting what was already there as the jagras and other members of the forest did. She remembered the day the next group had come to the shores of her forest, arriving in a number of the nests she had seen perched on the rocky outcrops of the coast. Except these nests floated on the water like a leaf in a stream, which perplexed the rest of the scouting party as much as it did her when they stumbled upon the scene during one of their patrols. They had seen over the coming moon cycles as the humans dismantled the floating nests, turning them into permanent structures with the rest of their encampment.

She had just started her time of growing all female jagras go through in preparation to become matriarchs and leaders when the third group of humans had arrived. Again they watched as many of the floating nests were added to the growing hub on the coast. Except one nest which the humans made fly away, surprising the jagras once again with what they could make their nests do. This nest had strange sacks attached to it that floated like clouds, raising the nest out of the water and drifting towards the Farlands: a land of cracked earth and powerful forces that the jagras respected and feared. Though as tradition the jagras sent their best fighters and leaders there on pilgrimage to bask in the power and thus grow stronger still, no jagras had made that pilgrimage since the time of her mother. The time had not yet come for her or her family to make that trip she felt. What she was waiting for she did not know, but it was a shared sentiment with all the jagras tribes of the Ancient Forest.

And now another group had joined the humans. She wondered what sort of feats these ones would do or what they would make their nests do this time.

Noticing that her family had finished the meal and were expecting her orders, she stood tall.

"My family, I have news for those who do not already know it." She said looking at her family: a handful of great jagras females, about a dozen and a half jagras males of varying ages, and two young female jagras who had yet to go into their growing years.

"As some may know from their patrols earlier today, it seems a new group of humans has arrived." She stated, enjoying the surprised looks she got from the younger crowd.

"The humans will no doubt attempt to push further inland with these new numbers so we must be vigilant! They do not seem as tough as some of the residents of this forest but make no mistake! Their use of weapons like the local bug-trappers and foraged armor as one would see on a hermitaur at the beach combine for a formidable foe. If any of you on patrol should spot one of these humans roaming the forest trails within our territory do not hesitate to case them back to their nest!" She finished, looking around to see if any of her kin had any doubts.

Though no doubts were seen in the older crowd, Jax stepped forward and asked "mother, why do we chase these humans, biting at legs and pushing them away rather than simply defeating them? With our patrol's numbers we could surely outnumber a human if found in the forest."

"You are too young to know this tale yet so I will tell you why little one." She said laying down and preparing her thoughts.

She thought back to a particular forest council meeting held by the jagras tribes of the forest and mediated by the forest elders; a race of ancient beings that reminded her of the humans in appearance, though shriveled and much wiser.

"During the time of the first group of humans to settle on the coast, long before any other groups joined them, another jagras tribe decided to take out the invaders to our forest. They declared that they would defeat the humans, show their awesome power in the face of this new enemy,"" She started looking around to make sure that everyone was paying attention. She noticed several of the older jagras nod in remembrance of the old tale, either from having been there themselves or having heard the tale already.

"The forest elders warned them that it would be unwise to take such actions against the newcomers, that we should treat them as we do the other members of this forest: push out invading parties but only kill when looking for food. That jagras tribe wouldn't listen."

"They amassed their entire tribe, anyone able to fight except the few jagras too young to fight along side their parents. The 20 or so they amassed swarmed the humans hunting grounds and made their way to the human's nest on the coast. If I remember correctly they managed to take down several humans in the surprise they caused but their downfall came when they neared the human's nest. The jagras did not believe the forest elders when they warned that the humans could be a vengeful threat to the forest if angered and brought the full retaliation of the humans down upon all of us. They stamped out the raiding jagras' party with their weapons and charged into the forest chasing the few who had escaped the battle at the nest back to the jagras' own nest, leaving no one alive. They brought their vengeance down on any jagras they could find for the next three moons until they finally stopped. We still do not know why they did not wipe us all out, they had proven themselves more than capable of doing such from what those who witnessed the fighting had said."

"In the end it was taken as a lesson to all members of the forest: do not kill the humans when possible for those that do will surely see their entire species killed off." She finished somberly.

The story was what Jax had been expecting. Especially hearing about how fearsome the humans sounded. He wondered if the humans would ever come to destroy their tribe like that other tribe so long ago.

"Well that's enough told stories for one day!" The head matriarch said standing up. The rest of the group followed suit and prepared for their evening patrol while several of the the younger group headed off together.

"So how many humans are out there do you think?" One of the females asked.

"Why? You scared Jai?" Jen goaded as they trotted along a forest trail.

"No! I'm just worried there will be too many for us to handle. Like in the story." Jai shot back.

"No telling but it doesn't matter! We can take them if they ever come looking for a fight!" Jen exclaimed puffing his chest out.

"Did you not listen to the matriarch's story just now? There's no way you'd be able to take them!" The other female jagras goaded.

"It doesn't matter if we can take them or not Jal, so long as mother is on our side there's no way we can lose!" Said Jax rushing forward. "Come on, I'm still hungry. Let's go find some hares to eat!" Springing off into the bushes the other jagras followed suit laughing without a care in the world and content in the fact that their tribe and matriarch could save them from anything.

 _Well there's the first chapter for you! This is my first fanfic so any comments or suggestions will be greatly appreciated! Thanks for taking the time to read this,_ _Random out_!


	2. Chapter 2

It had been eight years since the arrival of the fourth fleet, Jax and Jen walked the forest paths of the Ancient Forest on patrol along side another resident of the forest.

"For the last time you are not riding on top of me." Jax said, glaring at the grimalkyne that trotted along beside them.

"But my paws hurt." He wined back. Kicking at the dirt of the trail in mock tantrum, the young bugtrapper grinned and fell back in line with the two fanged wyverns.

"Come on Jax it'll be fun! I hear the grimalkynes beyond the Great Divide near the Farlands ride their companions! Wyvern and rider in perfect sync! We'll look great!" He said, planting his spear in the ground and making a dramatic pose. Jax simply rolled his eyes and kept moving.

"Lai why don't you ever bug Jen with this plan of yours?" Jax asked. Lai was not the grimalkyne's actual name, but one given to him when he was taught the jagras language. His actual name spoken in the felyne language was far to difficult to pronounce by the jagras so a code name of sorts was given to him and the other grimalkyne of the forest by the elders and jagras council. Jagras names tended to be short and each clan had their own starting letter. Jax and Jen were part of the J clan so they were named as such. Since there was no L clan in the forest the council elected the letter to be used by those who were recognized as honorary jagras.

"Because he knows I'd eat him if he ever tried it." Jen said with a toothy grin as he glanced over at Lai. "You're just too nice to him Jax. So it's your own fault he keeps running back to you."

"It's not that I'm too nice but you're just too abrasive." Jax said teasingly. He knew Jen well enough to know the jagras was all bark and very little bite. "But enough on this, we've got a job to do Jen. Lai, if you're just here to hang around and try to get a ride off of me then head back to your nest, otherwise help us on patrol. Mother said she spotted some of those flying wyvern the humans like to use circling the Great Tree so we know they should be in the area."

Scanning the skies the jagras couldn't see any wyverns flying about but that didn't stop him from feeling that something was off.

Lai propped his spear on his shoulder and looked around. "I don't see any flying wyverns out right now, maybe something spooked the humans off?" He said playfully. "But sure, I'll help out with patrol. I don't feel like running from that forest elder

from the human's nest right now, and I've already caught my share of bugs for the day so I'm not needed back at nest... I mean camp till nightfall." Lai shook his head. He still got a few words mixed up here and there. It was an easy thing to do in a language that consisted of few voiced parts and relied mainly on body language and movements.

"Good, then let's do a final patrol around the Great Tree before heading back around towards the nest." Jax said looking at Jen.

The other jagras nodded at this. "Sounds good to me, though I'm with the palico on this one, the humans have packed up for the day. Should make for an easy patrol till we get home!" Jen started forward at this, not waiting for the other two to fall in line with him.

Jax smiled and bound after him leaving Lai to scramble with his spear and shout "Hey! Wait for me!"

"I'm telling you somethings off." Jax said looking around. It had been an uneventful trip around the Great Tree as Jen had predicted. But the lack of noise from the birds and insects further into the forest they went had started to unsettle Jax.

"I'm with Jax on this one. Usually the hercudromes would be in full evening chorus by now." Lai noted. As a bugtrapper he had been taught the many different calls and signs of the endemic bug life of the forest. The only time that bugs went silent was when a large aggressive monster was near and he didn't like the look of this one bit.

"Yeah it's definitely weird. And we're not far off from the nest either." Jen agreed. The bugs and birds around the nest were used to the scent of the jagras clan that lived there so they were rarely quiet. "I say we take a long way around to the nest.

Check the borders of the territory in case there are any large monsters we need to be aware of." Jen said turning to the other two.

Jax and Lai nodded and fell in line behind Jen. It was the patrol's job to warn the nest if any threat was around after all.

Deep in the Ancient Forest, far from any human hunting trail there sat a tree. A particularly old tree that had housed the wyvernians of the New World since their oldest stories could recount.

Many of the races that called the forest their home knew them as the forest elders for their longevity and wisdom. This tree was often the site of clan meetings. Not just for the jagras, but for the palicos and other mentally adept monsters of the New

World. This was sacred ground one could say, a place where members could come as equals to settle territory disputes, clan logistics, and the like and be met with fair ground and wisdom provided by those that lived there.

One of the forest elders that called the tree their home was stirring however. It was not often that they ventured past the confines of the tree's trunk but some situations called for it. Tonight would be one of those instances.

Landing with surprising grace, the cloaked figure rose and set off at a mild pace. A grimalkyne set in beside them from her watchpoint and asked in the felyne tongue "Heading out I see? Need an escort?"

The forest elder replied in kind "Always friend. I fear I may need the help this night. I'm beginning to think I'm growing too old for this." They finished with a chuckle.

"You? Old? Nonsense you'll outlive is all!" The palico laughed before dawning a more serious tone. "But what does stir you from your tree? I know not of any clan wars or territory disputes?"

"In time my friend. In time." The old one chuckled, then sighed "Though the extent of what has happened even I know not. The whispers of the forest do not tell everything."

"Well then let's hurry on then!" The buggtrapper said giving a shell at her side a quick note before a jagras came from the bush ahead of them. Hoping on, the palico offered the elder her paw "This will be faster than walking all the way there."

"Right." The elder said sliding onto the back of the jagras. "Head towards the coast, towards Jel's territory."

"What are we looking for elder?" The jagras asked taking off towards the coast.

"We'll know once we get close, I just hope we're not too late." The elder said before all thee disappeared into the underbrush.


	3. Chapter 3

_Hello all! Sorry for the extended silence, I hope this extended chapter makes up for it! Thanks to all those who favorited and followed the story so far and a huge shout ot to Beepo who relized my fopa on the grimalkyne/palico mixup I made in the last chapter, I've fixed the mistakes and changed a bit of dialogue that was bugging me, so once again many thanks! I'm always looking for ways to provide quality content so comments and thoughts are always appreciated! Now on to the chapter that's been waiting for so long, Random out!_

The jagras Maz sped through the undergrowth of the Ancient Forest hardly burdened by his two passengers. He was as worried as the forest elder who rode atop him. Though the jagras clans were separate entities in themselves with their own matriarchs and territories, the jagras of the forest were still united under a bond of kinship. The council that met at the changing of seasons made sure of this and it was ingrained in every young jagras since the masacre by the humans that though they may be of different clans, those that spoke the jagras language were friends and companions to be helped. The thought that any clan was in trouble or under attack drove him faster as he raced towards the coast.

Maz's clan was situated deep in the Ancient Forest. Being one of the oldest clans, they had the honor of keeping guard of the forest elders that resided deep in the forest. They had been entrusted with this long ago along side the grimalkyne of the forest. Seeing as the two were some of the only group-oriented tribes of decent sentience in the Ancient Forest this made sense to the forest elders to elect them as guardians despite the lack in overall fighting prowess they boasted.

Normally a jagras would not allow anything to ride on his back, but there was a special exception when it came to those tasked with defending the forest elders. Jagras found it a privilege to accompany the forest elders whenever they left their nest in the old tree and Maz was no exception to this. Upon hearing Let's call earlier he had come running knowing an elder would need his help.

A few more jagras fell in line with Maz as they passed into the territory bordering Jel's; a patrol unit from the S clan.

"What brings a forest elder and a member of the M clan here? Times are dangerous, it is best you turn back great elder." The lead jagras said.

"It is because of the danger to the clans I have come. The whispers of the forest have told me as such." The forest elder responded in the jagras language.

"One of our Great Jagras has not returned from her patrol earlier and a number of our males have gone missing too." One of the jagras commented. "We were on patrol looking for them when we found your scent."

"The whispers tell me there is trouble closer to the coast, we'll search there for your fellow jagras." The elder said.

"Right!" The jagras patrol sounded, falling in line behind Maz.

Jax was currently fleeing for his life.

He should have been returning to his clan to warn them of the impending danger but that thought had been lost long ago as he tried to outrun the monster chasing him.

'Have to warn them! Have to get away!' He thought as he raced through the treetops. The sounds of trees crashing and roars could be heard behind him as he continued forward.

How had it gone so wrong? He knew this day would haunt him for as long as he lived. Even thinking about it sent a fresh spike of fear through him.

It had been simple enough starting off. Closer to the edge of his clan's territory they had picked up on a strange scent and followed it to the border between their territory and the neighboring clan's territory. There was jagras scent mixed in the air as well but seeing as how it was close to the border Jax and the others did not pay much mind to it.

Passing through a bush into a small clearing of trees the three scouts discovered the source of the strange smell. It was an Anjanath.

More specifically it was an Anjanath that stood over a freshly killed Great Jagras. The trio had stumbled upon the monster from behind and the smell of blood in the air hid them well from the larger predator so it had not yet realized they were there.

They could tell the Great Jagras was not from their clan, there was a slightly different pheromone in the air coming from the slain Great Jagras indicating that it was probably from the neighboring territory.

Realizing the Anjanath wasn't paying attention to them Jax spoke up, "It hasn't noticed us yet what should we do?"

"We obviously need to run back to the clan and tell Great Jel about this!" Lai said as a breeze ruffled his fur. "Plus I want to get as far away from this," he jestured to the Anjanath and its meal "as possible!"

"No we should scare it away!" Jen said looking at Lai. "It hasn't noticed us yet so it's the possible to get the upper hand right now!"

"Are you crazy? That thing took down a Great Jagras! What chance do we have?" Lai protested looking at the two jagras in utter confusion.

Jen stepped in, "Mother is our matriarch for a reason, she wouldn't lose to an Anjanath so easily." He believed it too. His matriarch was the strongest monster he knew and he'd follow her to the ends of the New World. But just because she was the strongest monster didn't mean Jax had to run to her for every fight.

"I think we should try scaring it off too. This is our territory to defend. If it proves too tough a fight we can always run to the clan for aid." Jax finished looking at the other two. Jen was nodding in agreement, but Lai had a funny look on his face. Rather similar to the one he had on that one time he'd tried to catch a vespoid and it had called for help from a nearby queen vespoid. Jax and the others at the time had laughed at him the whole time he'd run away from the large insect but now he remembered why he'd made that face: he was scared out of his mind.

Looking over to where Lai was staring, Jax met eye to eye with the Anjanath staring them down.

It blew a puff of breath and gave a sniff to the air, double checking the scent on the wind. Jen glanced at Lai and realized that while a gust of wind wouldn't register to him, having no hair to tell him a breeze had swept past, seeing it on Lai should've been a dead giveaway that they were about to be found out.

Anjanath were known for their poor eyesight but made up for that in brute strength and a superior sense of smell.

Roaring in challenge the Anjanath extended its nose bone and back flaps making itself appear larger.

Jen and Jax leapt forward and roared, as best they could, back at the challenge from the much larger monster. Lai let off a very un-Lynian squeal and darted into the bushes behind them. Jax paid little mind to this, he couldn't blame the grimalkyne for acting the way he did. He had no stake in this fight. It was not his clan or territory to defend, and while the extra help would've been nice, Jax knew this fight was the jagras' problem to deal with.

The Anjanath made the first move, lowering its head it charged forward intent on bashing the two would-be challengers. Jax and Jen split up, skirting the large wyvern and lunging forward as it landed headlong into a tree.

Jax clawed at the scales along its leg, he managed to pry a few loose but otherwise made very little progress.

Jen clamped his jaws down on the Anjanath's other leg and heard the satisfying crunch of scales breaking between his teeth.

The Anjanath, more shaken by the blow to the head than the attacks it was receiving, reared its leg back and kicked out, sending Jen flying across the clearing into some bushes at the edge. The small wyvern sprang up immediately, a few small cuts along his back from landing on the sharp branches of the bushes. He hissed in anger and charged at the Anjanath as Jax continued to scratch and hold its attention.

Jax had managed to climb partway up the Anjanath's leg and was holding as he continuously bit into the softer hide along the monster's thigh. The scales were thinner here and it showed from the multiple small but bleeding bite marks that peppered the leg.

The Anjanath jerked and kicked attempting to throw the small wyvern but Jax had managed to hook his claws in firmly into the scaled pelt of the Anjanath and refused to budge. This only seemed to frustrate the already raging Anjanath as it eyed one of the trees ringing the area. Moving forward, it squared up to the tree ready to bash its side, and the jagras clinging there, against the trunk of the large tree.

Realizing this, Jax quickly released his hold on the monster just as it pivoted. The Anjanath threw its full weight into the tree, splitting it with a mighty crash of wood while Jax was thrown by the momentum and landed against the trunk of another tree nearby. Chips of wood rained down on the jagras as he struggled to get up and breathing deeply as the air returned to his lungs.

'Not enough.' Jax though. The two of them needed backup. The rest of the clan could provide the support they needed but the problem came in reaching them. The rest of the J clan would no doubt be back at the nest by now, digging in to the meal brought back from the Great Jagras of the clan. And he had no idea if there were any jagras in the area from the neighboring clan that would help either.

There was only one option. He reared back and gave the universal call for aid all jagras were taught to give and respond to once they were deemed old enough to patrol the territories. It could be used as a signal to alert nearby jagras of a threat or to call for help when an enemy posed too much for a jagras to fight alone as the case was this time. Regardless, hopefully any jagras in the area would come to the aid of this call.

Jen perked up at the call, glancing over to Jax and then back at the wyvern he'd been staring down. He too knew they were in bad shape with this fight. Neither had taken on a monster this large before and it was pure luck they'd lasted even this long. "Jax we need to run back to the clan!" He called as he ducked under a sweeping tail from the Anjanath.

"We need to give them time to find us, if any jagras are out there!" Jax said back as he rushed in to scratch at the jaw of the Anjanath.

It snapped at him in retaliation and he danced back out of range, landing beside Jen. "We will trade a few more blows and then start making our way back. Maybe we can lose it in the tree tops." He offered.

"Alright fine." Jen said as they dove apart, the Anjanath having leapt at them trying to crush them underfoot.

Once again Jax tried to mount the monster but this time he could not secure a good clawhold before the Anjanath spun, taking out a bush with its tail and sending Jax rolling in the dirt of the clearing. The Anjanath roared as sparks of fire flew from its maw, its nose bone fully protruding as it stoked the flame sac within its throat.

Jax struggled to his feet, the adrenaline in his system pushing his battered body faster than his muscles wanted to respond. He dove out of the way, skidding in the dirt as the Anjanath snapped at the space he'd been at moments before. Jen was once again latched to the ankle of the monster, biting and clawing furiously to try and do some damage.

It was evident now that no jagras were in the area. Otherwise they would have come to their aid or given a call back at least. No, they were on their own Jax realized, pushing himself off the dirt again. "We need to go Jen!" He called.

Jen came rolling over in a yelping heap, panting hard after the Anjanath had loosed him from its ankle with a good backwards kick. He got up easily enough but held his back right foot off the ground slightly. "That hurt." He spat trying to put weight on the foot.

"Jen we need to get back to the clan and warn them. This is not going our way at all." Jax said as the Anjanath turned to face the two.

"I agree, but my leg is no good for climbing now—" He was cut off as the two flung themselves to the side as the Anjanath let loose a torrent of flames from its mouth.

"You just had to go get yourself hurt." Jax said standing up. Jen got up, albeit much more carefully to keep his back leg elevated and glared at the monster in front of them. The Anjanath in question was currently smacking its jaws and licking its fangs to get fresh saliva throughout its mouth as it looked at the two with an angry but inquisitive glare. Almost as if asking 'why are you not fried meat sticks right now? That makes me mad.'

Jen looked for a way to escape. His options were limited at best. He could no longer climb out of the reach of the Anjanath and he most certainly couldn't run from it. Hiding may work but even that was not guaranteed with the Anjanath's superior sense of smell. They needed a plan but there was no time. Jax seemed to be winded himself but he could at least make it back to the clan.

The Anjanath raced forward yet again, head lowered to bash the two. Jen and Jax dove to the side again and the Anjanath raced past.

'Who knows? Maybe I can hold out while Jax goes to get the clan?' Jen though hopefully. 'This monster is easy enough to dodge as it is.'

The Anjanath readied another charge as Jen got back up. Racing forward, it lunged for the jagras who threw itself out of the way again. Expecting this, the Anjanath pivoted just as the jagras began to move, bringing its tail around in a deadly arc.

'Oh.' Was all Jen had time to think before the appendage slapped into him. Launching the poor jagras clear across the clearing and landing at the base of a tree with a sickening crunch.

The Anjanath roared in triumph and faced the last remaining challenger.

Jax stared at the crumpled form of Jen. He was unnaturally still. As still as Jax had ever seen the other jagras.

Death was nothing new or frightening to the members of the Ancient Forest. All met their end one way or another, be it at the fangs of a powerful monster or by the unstoppable flow of time who only the forest elders seemed immune to. Jax had seen death before. In the prey that his mother brought back every day, to the small meals he made for himself while on patrol. He'd even seen jagras death before. Some older members of the clan had passed in battle with a pukiepukie some summers past.

He knew Jen was dead. And he knew that he would also be dead if he stayed here with the Anjanath.

Hissing in a futile attempt of scaring the monster off one more time he turned tail and ran for his life.

The Anjanath roared in challenge, egged on by the thrill of a chase and completely forgetting its former kills it plunged into the forest after the retreating jagras.

Jax had no idea how long he'd been running or where he was going at this point. Instinct had taken over at this point and his only thought was simply 'run'. A part of his mind that wasn't engulfed in fear did start to notice landmarks in his path however. It seemed his body had subconsciously brought him back towards the heart of his clans territory.

A roar from behind him jarred him from this thought and he almost lost his footing on the branch he was running along. He had almost begun to become numb to the constant crashing of trees and thundering footsteps that had continued to follow him. But that roar was close. The tree Jax had just been standing on gave way with a mighty crash. 'Too close' he thought.

Then the tree under Jax jerked, throwing the wyvern from the treetops he'd been running along. Rolling in a thundering crash of splintering wood and monster, Jax's vision swam as he came to an abrupt stop on the dirt path of the floor. He tried to get up, to keep moving, but the limbs of the fallen tree blocked him. Attempting again to push himself out of the branches he collapsed as a wave of pain shot up from his back.

'Stuck.' Was his only thought as he looked up hopelessly at the Anjanath sniffing the debris of the tree it had nocked down. No doubt it was searching for its victim amongst the downed tree. The scent trail it had been following stopped here and the smell of fresh blood in the air was a dead give away that its prey was trapped somewhere underneath.

Jax had no clue what to do. His mind was fogged by fear and pain. He had no idea where he was within his territory or what would happen next. And that's when the first call rang out.

The Anjanath stiffened in surprise, completely caught off guard. About a dozen jagras jumped from the bushes all around it. The Great Jagras, four in all with one larger than the rest emerged after them. With a roar from Jel the rest attacked at once.

The smaller jagras rushed forward, scratching and biting at anything they could. Some went for the Anjanath's legs while others bit at the jaw and arms.

The Anjanath reeled up with a mighty roar, flames spitting from its maw, as it declared its anger at being interrupted from a hunt once again. It swept its tail at the surrounding jagras and caught several in the sweep. One landed against a tree with a crunch and was still. Another was thrown over by Jax where it was impaled by the sharp, broken branches of the tree he was trapped under. He jerked once and didn't move again. The rest rolled in the dirt and got up to charge again.

Two of the Great Jagras moved forward to bite the Anjanath. One caught a face full of fiery breath as the Anjanath let loose a torrent of flames, blinding and searing the wyvern as the surrounding trees caught fire. The other bashed into the Anjanath with its shoulder, stopping the fiery breath before more damage could be done to the surroundings.

Shaking off the hit and leaping forward, the Anjanath bit down on the back of the blinded Great Jagras' skull and with a savage twist brought another challenge down. It then whipped its tail around and caught the other Great Jagras across the face, stunning and daring the monster as the remaining jagras and the charged again. They bit and clawed at the Anjanath's legs they succeeded in clawing free several scales but otherwise doing little in damaging the brute wyvern. The other Great Jagras began charging forward, spurred on by the death of her sister. The Great Jagras Jel continued to survey the battle waiting for the right opportunity to attack.

With another tail sweep the Anjanath swept away the attacking jagras. Those clinging to its legs were flung free from the speed of the turn. Wasting no time the Anjanath turned and blasted the downed jagras with fire. With a startled cry the remainder of the jagras were silenced leaving only the two lower Great Jagras and Jel to face off against the savage brute wyvern.

Jax saw all of this from his place below the downed tree. Fear, loss, and smoke-clogged air began pulling at his conscious. He didn't know if he would ever wake up again but as he watched his great matriarch Jel lumber into battle he had no fear for her life. She was his leader after all, she would not lose. With that thought his energy reserves depleted and the days events dragged the jagras off into unconsciousness.


	4. Chapter 4

Jax jerked awake which sent a wave of pain from his hip up through his spine. The first thing he noted was that he was not in fact under the tree anymore. Nor did the air contain smoke and there was no earth quaking stomps or roars to be heard. The battle was over and he had lived, the only thing left to figure out was where he was and what had happened.

A shape moved across his vision and after a moment he realized it was Lai. The Grimalkyne was saying something, but the jagras only caught the end of his statement: "glad you are alive!"

"Where?" Jax weakly asked as he slumped back down. The scales and skin across his back and hips were beginning to prickle and ache and he was still sore from the fighting and running.

"Close to the border between the S clan and your clan's territory." Lai said. "We followed the smoke from the forest fire and found you under a downed tree."

"We?" Jax asked. Another shape entered his vision next to Lai that revealed itself to be a forest elder.

"Elder!" Jax exclaimed, immediately attempting to sit up but a gnarled hand on his shoulder pushed him back into his previous position.

"Relax little one. There can be time for formalities after you are rested. For now, can you tell me what transpired in your territory?" The elder removed its hand from Jax's shoulder and stepped back beside Lai who seemed unsure of what to do having never been so close to one of the ancient elders of the forest before.

Jax began telling the elder of his fight with the Anjanath, of Jen's death, the flight through the forest, and finally his clan's fight with the brute wyvern. The elder betrayed no emotion while listening, standing so still they may as well have been one of the many trees of the forest. Lai for his part tried to remain calm, though the news on Jen's death was hard to hear.

Only when Jax finished his tale did the forest elder stir. Turning to the other jagras that had been waiting near the edges of the clearing it asked "So what do you think dear jagras? Has this young one earned a pace in your pack?"

One of the older looking jagras stepped forward, there was a noticable scar across the top of its head leading down between his eyes before dipping leftwards towards his mouth. "I will vouch for him. May he be accepted into our ranks, assuming he does not die before that can happen." He finished with a look towards Jax.

"What do you mean elder? I already have a place among my own pack. Where are they? Surely some of them survived. I know mother would not be beaten so easily." Jax asked looking between the older jagras and the forest elder.

Lai shifted uncomfortably as the elder spoke. "No young one, there were no survivors except yourself. Some of your brothers survived the battle but their wounds were too sevier."

The forest elder looked over to where the older jagras sat. Jax had originally thought the older jagras was joined by several other from his clan, some sitting and some lying down. He now saw the scorch marks, scrapes, and cuts that lined the bodies of those lying still. They had been drug into the clearing they now sat in along side himself. Some were covered in patches of leaves and salves, no doubt a healing concoction of the forest elder in an attempt to keep them alive.

Lai stepped up to Jax when he saw the uncertainty dance in his eyes. He spoke carefully, making sure not to mix up any words "Jax I saw matriarch Jel when we were rescuing you and your brothers. There was nothing we could do, she had already passed when we found your clan."

Jax's fractured mind spun. Nothing made sense at the moment. His mother defeated? Impossible. Sure the Anjanath was stronger than either he or Jen but there was no way his mother could be defeated. She was the strongest monster that he knew.

Maybe it wasn't true he reassured himself. Maybe she had only been too large to drag away from the field of the fight and she was being tended to as they spoke. This and a hundred other scenarios played out in his head, it was what he needed to not completely lose himself in the moment. Though it was incredibly mentally taxing.

Jax slumped then, reserves spent. He was caught by Lai who slowly laid him down on his bed of leaves.

Jax lifted his head and asked "what am I to do now elder? If my clan is truly gone where will I go? What will I do?"

"Worry not young one. The S clan will be assuming control of your territory, you will be under their guidance." The elder said. They then looked over to the jagras who had spoken before, ushering them over with a gesture. "This is Sul. He will look over you as you heal from the attack. He knows a thing or two about jagras healing."

"You are correct elder. Though I believe his injuries are larger than mine were." Sul said sitting down with the group and scratching the edge of the scar near his lip.

'Healing?' Jax though. He was reminded of his back in that instance by the ever growing itch that had been building since he had woken up. Looking back he saw that his back and hip had been covered by a sticky brown substance, covered by small herb leaves and left to dry. Jax looked to the elder for an explanation.

"A healing salve. Crushed mandragora, herb leaves, and blue mushrooms all mixed with vigorwasp nectar. The extra herb leaves are to keep any bugs away." The elder supplied seeing the look. "The tree you were trapped under pierced your hide and some of the muscles in your back and hip were damaged. That salve should help repel any infection and aid in the healing process. It will take some time for the muscles to work properly so be conscious of how much you move for the next couple of moons."

Jax didn't fully understand but trusted the elder knew what they were talking about. Laying his head down he thanked the forest elder and closed his eyes to rest. The itching along his back was intense but moving only sent fresh waves of pain up his back. 'Ignore the itch, rest will help' he thought to himself as he drifted off into a fitful sleep.

The following months would be some of the hardest Jax had ever experienced. The damage had been more severe than the elder had let on. Jax quickly came down with a fever in the first few days after waking up, apparently even with the healing salve the wound had become infected. Jax swam in and out of consciousness, his fever-heated brain struggling to hold together even a single coherent thought.

When he managed to rest, nightmares of Jen and his clan ran through his mind. When he was awake, it was a harsh cycle of muscle fatigue and excruciating pain as Sul had to scrape the infection from Jax's hide. He had some hazy memory of Sul telling him how he would have to remove the infection, lest it spread and impede the healing process.

As the days turned into weeks it seemed the number of times Sul had to clean out the wound lessened. He was slowly able to stand up for longer periods of time before becoming completely exhausted. Over time he was even able to limp, moving slowly so as not to agitate the muscles.

After several months Jax was finally able to walk normally. Though his walking cycle had more of a hitch to it than the regular jagras due to the surviving muscle damage. He would still need several more months before he was able to move as fast as he used to and be able to move through the trees at the same pace as the other jagras of his new clan.

Sul had been a surprising source of information as far as his healing process was concerned. At first Jax had resented the older jagras, seeing him as nothing but a torturer; but now they got along quite well. Sul acted as a mentor to the healing jagras as he came to understand the new clan's way of life and his changed body. One of the most surprising facts about the S clan Jax learned came when he asked Sul about his own injury.

"You survived the human's counterattack?!" Jax exclaimed interrupting the older jagras' story.

"Yes I did" Sul said hesitantly. "Though our clan was not the original attackers it did not matter to the humans. Those were hard times, it felt as though we were shepherd hare, hunted. Though not for food, it seemed they were only out to reduce our numbers. I suppose they believed that the coast would be easier to control with fewer of us around. In a way I suppose they were correct in that."

"Then your scar?" Jax asked curriously.

"I got it on the final day of the massacre. A human attacked a group of us on patrol. We were able to signal for another patrol group nearby to come to our aid but not before it wounded me and two others with its sharpened metal. It left upon seeing the reinforcements." Sul finished.

"So then the reason you knew how to care for me was because you had to care for the two who were hurt?" Jax asked.

"That is correct. I learned as I watched the elders care for myself and my brothers. Though unlike them, my injury became infected. So I learned how to handle infected wounds as well."

Jax looked at his newly healed hide. Along the ridge of his back starting near his hip bone and traveling down half the length of his right leg was a patchwork of light pink skin where the scales refused to grow back. The area was sensitive and sent jolts down his spine anytime he moved too quickly or layed on it rong. It reminded him of Sul's own injury, though the older jagras's scar was more weathered and callused-looking from age. He supposed infection left its mark like that, forever changing the body it preyed on.

"Did you ever see that hunter again?" Jax asked turning back around.

"No. Why do you ask young Jax?" Sul said looking puzzled.

"To attack them, show them that they cannot do as they please." Jax said confidently, sure that his mentor must feel some form of anger towards the old enemy.

Sul simply looked at the younger jagras with amusement. "No I do not feel that would be necessary. Time has a way of soothing old wounds young one. Now, I may even offer my assistance to one should they require it."

Jax looked at the older jagras in utter confusion. "Help them? I know that the matriarch says that all monsters of the forest who do not pose a threat to the elders are to be allowed to roam the territory, but I did not think she was talking about the humans as well. And after hearing your story, I certainly did not think you of all jagras would so readily accept such an order."

"There was a time when I would agree with you. And certainly there will be plenty of our brothers who will still see the humans they meet on the forest paths as enemies. Though you know the matriarch's rules are absolute, should you see a monster in need of help think of my words and the matriarch's commands and help keep the balance of this forest. I trust our matriarch and the elders that much. That even I can set aside old grudges and help a fellow member of the forest." Sul said before walking off.

A 'fellow member of the forest' Jax thought. He had never considered the humans as part of that grouping. They had always been the outsiders on the edge of the forest to him. Enemies to be chased back to their nest if found within the territory.

A part of him agreed with Sul, the humans had lived along the coast longer than he had been alive and yet they had never posed a threat to the elders. Another part did not understand them, and was curious of them. Their ways and actions did not make sense to the young jagras. Everything from the reason for their intrusion on the coast to the way they armed themselves like the local grimalkyne with strange shaped metal and bone weapons. And another part of him distrusted the humans. Hearing the stories of the attack on the clans and his mentor left the jagras feeling angry at the monsters responsible.

Jax shook his head. Thinking on this any longer would just hurt his head. Getting up, he started limping off towards the coast. The clear water that pooled along the edges of the forest near there felt quite good on his freshly healed skin and swimming helped him stretch and work his stiff muscles.

Lai stretched and hopped off the branch he had been resting on. The grimalkyne had taken to seriously caring for the injured jagras, feeling somewhat responsible for how the events that had occurred played out.

"Need any help Jax? I can get you some food if you are hungry?" Lai asked catching up with the jagras, sadly not a hard feat these days.

"No I am fine, thank you Lai. Just heading to the swimming hole. You know how stiff my leg gets when I sit for so long." Jax said limping along.

"I am glad you have taken to swimming so much, you smell much better these days." Lai joked, happy to hear the amused hum come from the jagras beside him. He had worried at first that Jax would remain sullen and distraught but recently the jagras had started getting some of his old humor back.

"You should join me this time Lai, you thought I smelled before? You are one to talk!" Jax quipped back breaking Lai from his thoughts.

Lai laughed and smacked his friend on the shoulder. "Keep talking like that and I will leave you to get there on your own."

Jax hummed in amusement again. "Why offer something so nice as a punishment Lai?" The jagras asked, earning a good-natured scorning look in return.

"Yes yes, very funny Jax. A regular jokester through and through." Lai said. "Now come on, let us get you in the water so I can continue relaxing."

Jax hummed again, he was beginning to do that a lot more these days which made him happy. He still hurt for his old clan, but he was beginning to move forward again and that felt much better than sitting still.


End file.
